Charging device

ABSTRACT

A charger device comprises a Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) device including a first transistor connected to an input and a first end of an inductor, a second transistor connected to ground and the first end of the inductor, a third transistor connected to a second end of the inductor and a first output, a fourth transistor connected to the second end of the inductor and a second output, and a controller connected to the SIMO device. The controller is configured to cause the SIMO device to charge the inductor based upon an input signal using a first power source coupled to the input during a first time period and discharge the inductor to charge at least one of the first power source and a second power source coupled to the first output during an unused time period.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/696,404, filed on Jul. 11, 2018. The entire disclosure of theapplication referenced above is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to charging devices, and moreparticularly to Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) devices andMultiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) power converter devices that areconfigured to power a power source.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided here is for the purpose of generallypresenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently namedinventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, aswell as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify asprior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedlyadmitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

Typically, battery powered consumer devices require more than one powersupply voltage level to operate. For example, a processor may operate ata first voltage level while one or more peripherals may operate at asecond voltage level. As a result, these devices incorporate powerconverters to convert electric energy from one form to another. Forexample, power converters may be used to convert a direct current (DC)or a rectified alternating current (AC) input signal to one or more DCoutput signals at the same or different power levels. Power converterscan include Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) devices andMultiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) devices that store current in asingle inductor based on an input signal and selectively discharge thestored current to multiple loads connected to selected outputs of theSIMO device.

SUMMARY

A charger device comprises a Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) deviceincluding a first transistor connected to an input and a first end of aninductor, a second transistor connected to ground and the first end ofthe inductor, a third transistor connected to a second end of theinductor and a first output, a fourth transistor connected to the secondend of the inductor and a second output, and a controller connected tothe SIMO device. The controller is configured to cause the SIMO deviceto charge the inductor based upon an input signal using a first powersource coupled to the input during a first time period and discharge theinductor to charge at least one of the first power source and a secondpower source coupled to the first output during an unused time period.

In other features, the first power source comprises a battery.

In other features, the charger device includes a first comparatorconfigured to compare an input signal received from the first output toa first voltage reference signal and to generate a first comparisonsignal based upon the comparison and a second comparator configured tocompare an input signal received from the second output to a secondreference voltage signal and generate a second comparison signal basedupon the comparison.

In other features, the controller is further configured to cause theSIMO device to selectively discharge the inductor to power the secondpower source based upon the first comparison signal.

In other features, the charger device further includes a charger havinga first end connected to the first output and a second end connected tothe second power source.

In other features, the charger device further includes a headroomtracker having a first end connected to the first end of the charger anda second end connected to the second end of the charger. The headroomtracker is configured to generate an enable signal having a first statewhen a voltage difference between the first end of the charger and thesecond end of the charger is greater than a predetermined thresholdvoltage and having a second state when the voltage difference betweenthe first end of the charger and the second end of the charger is lessthan the predetermined threshold voltage.

In other features, the controller is configured to adjust a voltage atthe first output in response to the enable signal having the firststate.

A charger device comprises a Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) deviceincluding a first transistor connected to an input and a first end of aninductor, a second transistor connected to ground and the first end ofthe inductor, a third transistor connected to a second end of theinductor and a first output, and a fourth transistor connected to thesecond end of the inductor and a second output. The charger device alsocomprises a charger having a first end connected to the first output anda second end and a controller that is operatively connected to the SIMOdevice and configured to cause the SIMO device to power the inductorbased upon an input signal provided by a first power source anddischarge the inductor to power at least one of the first power sourceand a second power source via the charger during an unused time period.

In other features, the first power source comprises a battery.

In other features, the charger device includes a first comparatorconfigured to compare an input signal received from the first output toa first voltage reference signal and generate a first comparison signalbased upon the comparison and a second comparator configured to comparean input signal received from the second output to a second referencesignal and generate a comparison second signal based upon thecomparison.

In other features, the controller is configured to cause the SIMO toselectively discharge the inductor to power the second power sourcebased upon the first comparison signal.

In other features, the charger device includes a headroom tracker havinga first end connected to the first end of the charger and a second endconnected to the second end of the charger. The headroom tracker isconfigured to generate an enable signal having a first state when avoltage difference between the first end of the charger and the secondend of the charger is greater than a predetermined threshold voltage andhaving a second state when the voltage difference between the first endof the charger and the second end of the charger is less than thepredetermined threshold voltage.

In other features, the controller is further configured to adjust avoltage at the first output in response to the enable signal having thefirst state.

In other features, the charger comprises a linear charger.

A charger device comprises a Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO)device including a first transistor connected to a first input and afirst end of an inductor, a second transistor connected to a secondinput and the first end of the inductor, a third transistor connected toground and the first end of the inductor, a fourth transistor connectedto a second end of the inductor and a first output, and a fifthtransistor connected to the second end of the inductor and a secondoutput. The charger device also includes a controller that isoperatively connected to the MIMO device and configured to cause theMIMO device (1) to charge the inductor based upon at least one of afirst input signal provided by a first power source connected to thefirst input and a second input signal provided by a second power sourceconnected to the second input and (2) to discharge the inductor tocharge at least one of the first power source and a third power sourcecoupled to the first output during an unused time period.

In other features, the charger device includes the first power sourceand the second power source.

In other features, the charger device includes a first comparatorconfigured to compare an input signal received from the first output toa first voltage reference signal and generate a first comparison signalbased upon the comparison and a second comparator configured to comparean input signal received from the second output to a second referencevoltage signal and generate a comparison signal based upon thecomparison.

In other features, the controller is further configured to cause theMIMO to selectively discharge the inductor to power the third powersource based upon the first comparison signal.

In other features, the charger device includes a charger having a firstend connected to the first output and a second end connected to thesecond power source and a headroom tracker having a first end connectedto the first end of the charger and a second end connected to the secondend of the charger. The headroom tracker is configured to generate aheadroom tracker signal when a voltage difference between the first endof the charger and the second end of the charger is greater than apredetermined threshold voltage.

In other features, the controller is further configured to adjust avoltage at the first output in response to the headroom tracker signal.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. Thedetailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exampleSingle-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) device in accordance with an exampleimplementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example SIMO controldevice in accordance with an example implementation of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example SIMO chargerdevice in accordance with an example implementation of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example headroom trackerin accordance with an example implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example SIMO chargerdevice in accordance with an example implementation of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exampleMultiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) device in accordance with anexample implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example MIMO chargerdevice in accordance with an example implementation of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example MIMO chargerdevice in accordance with an example implementation of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example MIMO chargerdevice in accordance with an example implementation of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example MIMO chargerdevice in accordance with an example implementation of the presentdisclosure.

In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similarand/or identical elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Single-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) devices andMultiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) devices (also referred to asMultiple-Inductor-Multiple-Output) utilize a single inductor to storeenergy and to power multiple electrical loads. The inductor is charged(energy stored) during a first time period and delivers the energy to anelectrical load connected to one of multiple outputs of the SIMO or MIMOdevice during a second time period.

The present disclosure is directed to a SIMO device and/or a MIMO devicethat can supply current to a power source, such as a battery, or aconnector, such as a universal serial bus (USB) during unused timeperiods. Unused time periods may refer to time periods in which otherelectrical loads do not require power and/or the inductor does notrequire charging.

The SIMO device includes a first transistor connected to an input and afirst end of an inductor, a second transistor connected to ground andthe first end of the inductor, a third transistor connected to a secondend of the inductor and a first output, a fourth transistor, optionally,connected to the second end of the inductor and the ground, and a fifthtransistor connected to the second end of the inductor and a secondoutput. Additional transistors can be connected to the second terminalof the inductor and additional outputs. The charger device also includesa controller that is connected to the SIMO device and configured tocause the SIMO device to selectively charge a power source coupled tothe first output during unused time periods.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example schematic diagram of a SIMO device 100 inaccordance with the present disclosure. The SIMO device 100 includesmultiple transistors 102 and an inductor 104. In implementations, thetransistors 102 include metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effecttransistors (MOSFETs). As shown, the SIMO device 100 includes a firsttransistor 102-1, a second transistor 102-2, a third transistor 102-3,optionally, a fourth transistor 102-4, a fifth transistor 102-5, and asixth transistor 102-6. However, it is understood that the SIMO device100 can include a varying number of transistors to provide additional orfewer outputs based upon the configuration of the SIMO. For example, thefourth transistor 102-4 may not be used in SIMO devices 100 operating inbuck-only mode.

The SIMO device 100 receives control signals at the gates of thetransistors 102-1 through 102-6 to control charging and discharging ofthe inductor 104. For example, in buck-boost mode, based upon thecontrol signals, energy is transferred to the inductor 104 using thefirst transistor 102-1 and the fourth transistor 102-4, and energy istransferred from the inductor 104 using the second transistor 102-2 andone of the third transistor 102-3, the fifth transistor 102-5, or thesixth transistor 102-6 to provide current to a selected output 108-1,108-2, 108-3 that charges a corresponding capacitor 110-1, 110-2, 110-3.As shown, the first transistor 102-1 is connected to an input 106 toreceive an input signal from a power source 107.

The third transistor 102-3, the fifth transistor 102-5, and the sixthtransistor 102-6 are connected to outputs 108-1, 108-2, 108-3,respectively. In some examples, each output 108-1, 108-2, 108-3 isconnected to a respective capacitor 110-1, 110-2, 110-3. The capacitors110-1, 110-2, 110-3 are charged to a desired voltage level by theinductor 104 based upon the control signals. The capacitors 110-1,110-2, 110-3 can power one or more electronic loads 112-1, 112-2, 112-3,which are connected to the respective capacitors 110-1, 110-2, 110-3.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example SIMO control device 200 in accordance withan example implementation of the present disclosure. As shown, the SIMOcontrol device 200 includes the SIMO device 100. The SIMO control device200 also includes comparators 202-1, 202-2, 202-3 that are connected tothe corresponding outputs 108-1, 108-2, 108-3. The comparators 202-1,202-2, 202-3 receive a first input signal corresponding to the voltageof the respective capacitors 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 and a reference voltagesignal at respective inputs 204-1, 204-2, 204-3. The comparators 202-1,202-2, 202-3 output comparison signals based upon the comparison of thefirst input signal to the reference voltage signal. The referencevoltage signals can be the same or different. The comparison signal isindicative of whether the corresponding capacitor 110-1, 110-2, 110-3requires charging.

The comparators 202-1, 202-2, 202-3 output the comparison signal to acontroller 206 via corresponding outputs 208-1, 208-2, 208-3. Based uponthe comparison signal, the controller 206 controls operation of the SIMOdevice 100, as well as the MIMO device described below. For example, thecontroller 206 can selectively control output signals to correspondinggates of the transistors 102 to control charging or discharging of theinductor 104 and/or the capacitors 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 based upon thecomparison signals via output 209. As shown in FIG. 2, the output 209includes multiple signal lines, and each signal line can be connected toa respective transistor 102 gate.

In various implementations, the controller 206 may include a First-InputFirst-Output (FIFO) device that prioritizes charging of the capacitors110-1, 110-2, 110-3 according to the received comparison signals. Inthese implementations, the controller 206 provides control signals thatselectively cause the SIMO device 100 to power the capacitors 110-1,110-2, 110-3 based upon the received comparison signals. For example, ifthe voltage stored by one or more of the capacitors 110-1, 110-2, 110-3is less than the corresponding reference signal, the controller 206outputs a control signal to cause the inductor 104 to add energy to acapacitor 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 during a first time period and to causethe inductor 104 to add energy to another capacitor 110-1, 110-2, 110-3during another time period.

FIG. 3A illustrates an example SIMO charger device 300. The SIMO chargerdevice 300 includes the SIMO device 100 and the SIMO control device 200.The SIMO charger device 300 includes a charger 302 that can charge apower source 304. The charger 302 is connected to at least one of therespective outputs 108-1, 108-2, 108-3. While it is shown that output108-1 is connected to the charger 302, it is understood that output108-2 or output 108-3 can be connected to the charger 302. Inimplementations, the charger 302 comprises a linear charger, and thepower source 304 may be a battery.

As described above, the controller 206 controls the voltage of thecapacitors 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 according to the comparison signals. Inan example implementation of the present disclosure, the controller 206can cause the SIMO device 100 to discharge energy stored in the inductor104 to charge the capacitor 110-1, and the capacitor 110-1 providespower to the charger 302 during unused time periods. The charger 302 canthen provide power to the power source 304 via an output 308. In someimplementations, the charger 302 regulates the energy provided to thepower source 304.

The SIMO charger device 300 also includes a headroom tracker 310. Asshown, the headroom tracker 310 can be connected in parallel with thecharger 302. For example, the headroom tracker 310 is connected betweenthe output 108-1 and the output 308. The headroom tracker 310 monitors avoltage difference between the output 108-1 and the output 308 anddetermines whether the voltage difference is greater than apredetermined threshold. A signal representing the predeterminedthreshold may be provided by the controller 206 via output 307. Theheadroom tracker 310 transmits an enable signal having a first state tothe controller 206 via an output 311 when the voltage difference isgreater than the predetermined threshold. When the voltage difference isless than the predetermined threshold, the controller 206 outputs anenable signal having a second state indicative of the comparison. Inresponse, the controller 206 adjusts the SIMO output connected to thecharger in order to control the headroom across the charger (e.g.,output 108-1 in FIG. 3A). By minimizing the voltage across the charger,the dissipation of the charger is reduced.

FIG. 3B illustrates an example implementation, the headroom tracker 310may comprise a differential amplifier 350 that receives signals from theSIMO output 108-1 and the charger output 308 as input. The differentialamplifier 350 outputs a difference signal representing the differencebetween the input signals at output 352 to a comparator 354. Thecomparator 354 compares the difference signal with the predeterminedthreshold signal (e.g., output 307) and outputs the enable signal viaoutput 311 indicative of the comparison.

The controller 206 causes the SIMO device 100 to adjust the voltagestored at the capacitor 110-1 based upon the headroom control signal tomaintain minimum dissipation at the charger 302 at a predetermineddissipation threshold. The controller 206 may adjust the voltage at thecapacitor 110-1 to be approximately the desired voltage of the powersource 304 plus a predetermined offset voltage.

The SIMO charger device 300 also includes a switch 312 controlled by thecontroller 206. For example, the controller 206 selectively operates theswitch 312 to connect the power source 304 to the SIMO device 100 ordisconnect the power source 304 from the SIMO device 100. The controller206 can cause the switch 312 to be in a closed state to electricallyconnect the power source 304 to the SIMO device 100 such that the powersource 304 powers to the SIMO device 100. In one or moreimplementations, the switch 312 comprises a MOSFET transistor.

FIG. 4 illustrates another implementation of a SIMO charger device 350.In this implementation, the SIMO charger device 350 includes the SIMOdevice 100 and the SIMO control device 200. As shown in FIG. 4, theoutput 108-1 of the SIMO device 100 is directly connected to the powersource 304. During operation, the SIMO control device 200 can cause theSIMO device 100 to charge the power source 304 based upon the comparisonsignal provided by the comparator 202-1. In this implementation, thecomparison signal provided by the comparator 202-1 may be indicative ofa voltage at the power source 304. In another implementation, a sensedevice may monitor the current going through power source 304 via output108-1 and the controller 206 adjusts the current to match apredetermined target value. In various implementations, the sense devicemay be transistor in the SIMO 100 or a sense resistor.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example MIMO device 400. As shown, the MIMO device400 includes transistors 402-1, 402-2, 402-3, 402-4 (optionally), 402-5,402-6, 402-7 and an inductor 404. In various implementations, thetransistor 402-4 is not needed when using the MIMO device 400 in buckonly mode. The transistors 402-1, 402-2 are connected to inputs 406-1,406-2 and can each receive a corresponding input signal. For example,the input 406-1 is connected to a power source 407-1, and the input406-2 is connected to a power source 407-2. In an implementation, thepower sources 407-1, 407-2 can be different power sources.

The transistors 402-5, 402-6, 402-7 are connected to outputs 408-1,408-2, 408-3 to selectively provide an output signal based upon thestored energy in the inductor 404. The MIMO device 400 includescapacitors 410-1, 410-2, 410-3 that are connected to respective outputs408-1, 408-2, 408-3. The capacitors 410-1, 410-2, 410-3 store energy topower the respective electrical loads 412-1, 412-2, 412-3.

Energy is transferred to the inductor 404 using at least one of thetransistors 402-1, 402-2 and the transistor 402-4, and energy istransferred from the inductor 404 using the transistor 402-3 and atleast one of transistor 402-5, 402-6, 402-7. For example, current isprovided to a corresponding capacitor 410-1, 410-2, 410-3 to charge thatcapacitor 410-1, 410-2, 410-3 to a desired voltage level. Transistors402-1, 402-2 can be controlled at a predetermined frequency orcontrolled on a cycle-by-cycle basis. The current through 402-1 and/or402-2 can be controlled by selecting which of 402-1 and/or 402-2 is tobe selected.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate example MIMO charger devices 500, 525 thatinclude the MIMO device 400. The MIMO charger devices 500, 550 eachinclude a MIMO device 400 and a MIMO control device 475. The MIMOcontrol device 475 operates similar to the SIMO control device 200described above. As shown in FIG. 6, the MIMO charger device 500includes a charger 302 and a headroom tracker 310. Similar to the SIMOcharger device 300 described above, the charger 302 is configured tocharge the power source 304 during unused time periods. As shown in FIG.7, the output 408-1 of the MIMO charger device 550 is directly connectedto the power source 304 such that the MIMO device 400 powers the powersource 304 during unused time periods.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate example MIMO charger devices 550, 575 thatinclude the MIMO device 400 in which the power source 304 comprises oneof the inputs to the MIMO device 400. The MIMO charger devices 500, 550each include a MIMO device 400 and a MIMO control device 475. The MIMOcontrol device 475 operates similar to the SIMO control device 200described above. As shown in FIG. 8, the MIMO charger device 500includes a charger 302 and a headroom tracker 310. Similar to the SIMOcharger device 300 described above, the charger 302 is configured tocharge the power source 304 during unused time periods. The switch 312may be included in some implementations and not included in otherimplementations.

The SIMO and/or MIMO devices described herein can be designed to operatein discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), continuous conduction mode (CCM)mode, buck mode, boost mode, buck-boost mode, or any combination thereofwithout deviating from the spirit of the disclosure.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. It should be understood thatone or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (orconcurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Further, although each of the embodiments is described above as havingcertain features, any one or more of those features described withrespect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in and/orcombined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if thatcombination is not explicitly described. In other words, the describedembodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or moreembodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.

Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example,between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) aredescribed using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,”“coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and“disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when arelationship between first and second elements is described in the abovedisclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where noother intervening elements are present between the first and secondelements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or moreintervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally)between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase atleast one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR BOR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed tomean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

In the figures, the direction of an arrow, as indicated by thearrowhead, generally demonstrates the flow of information (such as dataor instructions) that is of interest to the illustration. For example,when element A and element B exchange a variety of information butinformation transmitted from element A to element B is relevant to theillustration, the arrow may point from element A to element B. Thisunidirectional arrow does not imply that no other information istransmitted from element B to element A. Further, for information sentfrom element A to element B, element B may send requests for, or receiptacknowledgements of, the information to element A.

In this application, including the definitions below, the term “module”or the term “controller” may be replaced with the term “circuit.” Theterm “module” may refer to, be part of, or include: an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; afield programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit;other suitable hardware components that provide the describedfunctionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as ina system-on-chip.

The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples,the interface circuits may include wired or wireless interfaces that areconnected to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide areanetwork (WAN), or combinations thereof. The functionality of any givenmodule of the present disclosure may be distributed among multiplemodules that are connected via interface circuits. For example, multiplemodules may allow load balancing. In a further example, a server (alsoknown as remote, or cloud) module may accomplish some functionality onbehalf of a client module.

The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, and/ormicrocode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, datastructures, and/or objects. The term shared processor circuitencompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group processor circuit encompasses aprocessor circuit that, in combination with additional processorcircuits, executes some or all code from one or more modules. Referencesto multiple processor circuits encompass multiple processor circuits ondiscrete dies, multiple processor circuits on a single die, multiplecores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a singleprocessor circuit, or a combination of the above. The term shared memorycircuit encompasses a single memory circuit that stores some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group memory circuit encompasses amemory circuit that, in combination with additional memories, storessome or all code from one or more modules.

The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readablemedium. The term computer-readable medium, as used herein, does notencompass transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagatingthrough a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readablemedium may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory.Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium are nonvolatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit,an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-onlymemory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static randomaccess memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit),magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or ahard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or aBlu-ray Disc).

The apparatuses and methods described in this application may bepartially or fully implemented by a special purpose computer created byconfiguring a general purpose computer to execute one or more particularfunctions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks,flowchart components, and other elements described above serve assoftware specifications, which can be translated into the computerprograms by the routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

The computer programs include processor-executable instructions that arestored on at least one non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium. The computer programs may also include or rely on stored data.The computer programs may encompass a basic input/output system (BIOS)that interacts with hardware of the special purpose computer, devicedrivers that interact with particular devices of the special purposecomputer, one or more operating systems, user applications, backgroundservices, background applications, etc.

The computer programs may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed,such as HTML (hypertext markup language), XML (extensible markuplanguage), or JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) (ii) assembly code,(iii) object code generated from source code by a compiler, (iv) sourcecode for execution by an interpreter, (v) source code for compilationand execution by a just-in-time compiler, etc. As examples only, sourcecode may be written using syntax from languages including C, C++, C #,Objective-C, Swift, Haskell, Go, SQL, R, Lisp, Java®, Fortran, Perl,Pascal, Curl, OCaml, Javascript®, HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language 5threvision), Ada, ASP (Active Server Pages), PHP (PHP: HypertextPreprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang, Ruby, Flash®, VisualBasic®, Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK, and Python®.

None of the elements recited in the claims are intended to be ameans-plus-function element within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f)unless an element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for,” orin the case of a method claim using the phrases “operation for” or “stepfor.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A charger device comprising: aSingle-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) device including: a first transistorconnected to an input and a first end of an inductor; a secondtransistor connected to ground and the first end of the inductor; athird transistor connected to a second end of the inductor and a firstoutput; a fourth transistor connected to the second end of the inductorand a second output; and a controller connected to the SIMO device andconfigured to cause the SIMO device to charge the inductor based upon aninput signal using a first power source coupled to the input during afirst time period and discharge the inductor to charge at least one ofthe first power source and a second power source coupled to the firstoutput during an unused time period, wherein the second power source isconnected to the input.
 2. The charger device as recited in claim 1,wherein the first power source comprises a battery.
 3. The chargerdevice as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a first comparatorconfigured to compare an input signal received from the first output toa first voltage reference signal and to generate a first comparisonsignal based upon the comparison; and a second comparator configured tocompare an input signal received from the second output to a secondreference voltage signal and generate a second comparison signal basedupon the comparison.
 4. The charger device as recited in claim 3,wherein the controller is further configured to cause the SIMO device toselectively discharge the inductor to power the second power sourcebased upon the first comparison signal.
 5. The charger device as recitedin claim 3, further comprising a charger having a first end connected tothe first output and a second end connected to the second power source.6. The charger device as recited in claim 5, further comprising aheadroom tracker having a first end connected to the first end of thecharger and a second end connected to the second end of the charger, theheadroom tracker configured to generate an enable signal having a firststate when a voltage difference between the first end of the charger andthe second end of the charger is greater than a predetermined thresholdvoltage and having a second state when the voltage difference betweenthe first end of the charger and the second end of the charger is lessthan the predetermined threshold voltage.
 7. The charger device asrecited in claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured toadjust a voltage at the first output in response to the enable signalhaving the first state.
 8. A charger device comprising: aSingle-Input-Multiple-Output (SIMO) device including: a first transistorconnected to an input and a first end of an inductor; a secondtransistor connected to ground and the first end of the inductor; athird transistor connected to a second end of the inductor and a firstoutput; and a fourth transistor connected to the second end of theinductor and a second output; a charger having a first end connected tothe first output and a second end; and a controller that is operativelyconnected to the SIMO device and configured to cause the SIMO device topower the inductor based upon an input signal provided by a first powersource and discharge the inductor to power at least one of the firstpower source and a second power source via the charger during an unusedtime period, wherein the second power source is connected to the input.9. The charger device as recited in claim 8, wherein the first powersource comprises a battery.
 10. The charger device as recited in claim8, further comprising: a first comparator configured to compare an inputsignal received from the first output to a first voltage referencesignal and generate a first comparison signal based upon the comparison;and a second comparator configured to compare an input signal receivedfrom the second output to a second reference signal and generate acomparison second signal based upon the comparison.
 11. The chargerdevice as recited in claim 10, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to cause the SIMO to selectively discharge the inductor topower the second power source based upon the first comparison signal.12. The charger device as recited in claim 8, further comprising aheadroom tracker having a first end connected to the first end of thecharger and a second end connected to the second end of the charger, theheadroom tracker configured to generate an enable signal having a firststate when a voltage difference between the first end of the charger andthe second end of the charger is greater than a predetermined thresholdvoltage and having a second state when the voltage difference betweenthe first end of the charger and the second end of the charger is lessthan the predetermined threshold voltage.
 13. The charger device asrecited in claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured toadjust a voltage at the first output in response to the enable signalhaving the first state.
 14. The charger device as recited in claim 8,wherein the charger comprises a linear charger.
 15. A charger devicecomprising: a Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) device including: afirst transistor connected to a first input and a first end of aninductor; a second transistor connected to a second input and the firstend of the inductor; a third transistor connected to ground and thefirst end of the inductor; a fourth transistor connected to a second endof the inductor and a first output; and a fifth transistor connected tothe second end of the inductor and a second output; and a controllerthat is operatively connected to the MIMO device and configured to causethe MIMO device (1) to charge the inductor based upon at least one of afirst input signal provided by a first power source connected to thefirst input and a second input signal provided by a second power sourceconnected to the second input and (2) to discharge the inductor tocharge at least one of the first power source and a third power sourcecoupled to the first output during an unused time period, wherein thethird power source is connected to the first input.
 16. The chargerdevice as recited in claim 15, further comprising the first power sourceand the second power source.
 17. The charger device as recited in claim15, further comprising a first comparator configured to compare an inputsignal received from the first output to a first voltage referencesignal and generate a first comparison signal based upon the comparison;and a second comparator configured to compare an input signal receivedfrom the second output to a second reference voltage signal and generatea comparison signal based upon the comparison.
 18. The charger device asrecited in claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured tocause the MIMO to selectively discharge the inductor to power the thirdpower source based upon the first comparison signal.
 19. The chargerdevice as recited in claim 15, further comprising: a charger having afirst end connected to the first output and a second end connected tothe second power source; and a headroom tracker having a first endconnected to the first end of the charger and a second end connected tothe second end of the charger, the headroom tracker configured togenerate a headroom tracker signal when a voltage difference between thefirst end of the charger and the second end of the charger is greaterthan a predetermined threshold voltage.
 20. The charger device asrecited in claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured toadjust a voltage at the first output in response to the headroom trackersignal.